Latest Offseason Storyline Could Be Bad News for Angels' Pursuit of Superstar Slugger

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2025 season and the Los Angeles Angels would love nothing more than to bring home the son of one of their legends.

However, the latest development doesn't help the Angels out at all. The New York Mets have now entered the conversation.

"In the Mets' perfect world, they'd love to find a deal for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who, like Juan Soto, is a slugger who makes contact," according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by ESPN baseball insider Buster Olney. "199 hits and 96 strikeouts last year. If they pulled off a trade for him, they could sign him before he hit the market, as they did with Lindor."

In the Mets' perfect world, they'd love to find a deal for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who, like Juan Soto, is a slugger who makes contact. 199 hits and 96 strikeouts last year. If they pulled off a trade for him, they could sign him before he hit the market, as they did with…
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 16, 2025

SNY's Andy Martino reported that the Mets have had discussions with the Blue Jays regarding the power-hitting first baseman, who will be a free agent after the 2025 season. However, while the talks didn’t progress beyond initial inquiries, Toronto appears reluctant to trade Guerrero.

In a report by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, it was revealed that the Blue Jays are determined to retain Guerrero, citing the type of return they would expect in a trade.

The Blue Jays are reportedly seeking a package that includes major league talent and top prospects, one that would surpass the value the Padres received from the Yankees in the Juan Soto trade last offseason, before they’d consider parting with their star first baseman.

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Guerrero, who made his debut in 2019, had an impressive 2024 season, posting a .323/.396/.544 slash line with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, and just 96 strikeouts over 159 games. In his six-year career, he has accumulated 21.5 bWAR and has missed no more than six games in a season since 2020.

Defensively, Guerrero finished with -1 defensive runs saved and ranked just ahead of Ty France for the second-worst Outs Above Average (-10) among qualified first basemen, according to Statcast. Although he started his career at third base, where he recorded -3 DRS in 928.1 innings, Guerrero earned a Gold Glove at first base in 2022.

The Angels don't have much of a trade package to offer the Blue Jays for Guerrero and would have to wait for him to hit free agency to make him an offer, but with the organization's history of not offering long-term deals or expensive ones, their chances to bring him home are slipping away — especially if the Mets are intent on bringing him to New York.

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